Easter’s Enduring Testimony

by REV. KYLE MADSON, Editor THE LUTHERAN SENTINEL

A Courtroom Testimony

How many of you have ever had to testify in a court of law? That number might be fairly small here. I suspect the number is significantly larger for those who have been called to jury duty—to sit on a panel of peers to hear the testimonies of witnesses. Some of them were material witnesses—those whose proximity to the alleged crime or to those involved in it makes their report “material”… of the essence. Other testimony may have been given from expert witnesses—those whose proficiency in a forensic science or the human psyche make their opinion of the situation valuable to the jury considering the case at hand.

Let’s consider it in terms of a murder trial. In that instance, the goal of all the courtroom testimony will be one of two things:

1) Either to create doubt about the guilt of the accused (that would be the defense) OR 2) to remove all doubt about the guilt of the accused (that would generally be the prosecution).

Our courtroom standard (because accusation is easy) is quite rigid for conviction. You’ve heard it before: testimony that convicts is testimony and evidence that convinces the jury “beyond a reasonable doubt”. The affirming testimony carries the onus. Its job is to dispel all doubt.

GOD’S COURTROOM TESTIMONY

Easter—the Resurrection of Jesus to life from the dead—this was just such a testimony. Jesus’ resurrection and subsequent appearances (like the Easter evening appearance to his disciples and one week later to Thomas, too) were like God the Father putting Himself on the stand and testifying—“The crucified One is the Alive One.” “He is My own Son—The Christ!” “This is God’s testimony—that which He gave about His Son.” The angels announced it on the Bethlehem plains the morning of Jesus’ birth. God the Father proclaimed it at Jesus’ Baptism AND on the Mount of Transfiguration. The miracles of Jesus were all supporting evidence of this very truth—That Jesus is God’s promised Son AND Life is IN JESUS HIS SON!

The disciples had every advantage known to mankind in this “courtroom,” so to speak. They had front-row seats to most of Jesus’ miracles. They were ear witnesses to His preaching and teaching. Three of them looked on and listened as Jesus was transfigured before them on the mountain. And yet… they are still desperately needy for this continuing testimony.

“Peace be with you.” After this, He showed them His hands and His side. So the disciples rejoiced when they saw the LORD (John 20:19-20).

The disciples needed repeated testimony from God. Do you recall how caringly the angel at the tomb called for this enduring Easter testimony to the disciples from the women?

Go, tell the disciples, and Peter, that Jesus is alive from the dead. Tell them that Jesus IS God’s Son—the Christ.

THE DEVIL: THE SOWER OF DOUBT

Remember, doubt is easy to sow, especially in flesh like yours and mine—like the disciples. The Devil has never really known or needed any other treachery than SOWING DOUBT. “Did God really say…” NOW sounds like:

• Does God really say that your sins or the sins of your children are so wicked and deadly that ONLY His Son’s blood sacrificed in your behalf can right you?

• Does God really say that gift of His Son is enough to redeem lifetime felons, to buy back from sin abortion doctors or terrorists who bomb Christian churches on Easter? Does God really say the life and death of His Son are so ripe with salvation that EVEN YOUR SINS are sufficiently paid for?

The Devil sows doubt. He uses the world and your flesh to cooperate in his doubt-sowing testimony.

The Spirit Continues Testifying

And so, the God who gave testimony in the resurrection of His Son, who gave testimony to his doubt-filled disciples, that God even now testifies to dispel and dismantle your doubts and mine. God “the Spirit is the one who testifies” now. God the Father testified immediately with the visible body of Jesus before His bodily ascension into Heaven. But God has not left His Church—He has not left you—without such compassionate and faith-preserving testimony:

“In fact,” writes St. John, “there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and these three are one” (they are “in concert” with one another).

It’s our sinful nature to become preoccupied with what we do not have: Jesus’ walking and talking and “miracling” before our eyes. The Devil sows doubt in us that without such “personal experiences”, faith is foolish… that faith is “blind”—that it’s for the gullible.

But faith is not at all without sufficient testimony—without substance to ground it. In fact, the testimony is plentiful. God the Spirit, The Comforter, comes to you—Christ’s Church—now and testifies with Spirit, with water, and with blood.

When Jesus gave the flesh of His hands to His disciples to see and to touch, when He offered His fleshy side for Thomas to plunge his hand into, Jesus didn’t give them some new, better testimony. For their weakness and unbelief of His existing testimony, He gave them tangible testimony to echo what His verbal testimony had always been: I am God’s own Son the Savior—for you.

Dear fellow weak ones, dear fellow doubters, Jesus gives us no less. The water of your Baptism, the blood of Jesus in the Lord’s Supper, they testify in concert with the Spirit (Jesus’ word of Truth). The tangible things don’t say anything the Testimony of crucified and risen Jesus hasn’t already spoken. Only they say it for you and for me, in all of our weakness. These testimonies care for us in all of our feebleness and in all of our doubts. The Water together with God’s own Word testify that you are indeed God’s own redeemed one. The Bread and Wine together with Jesus’ words of promise—they testify. They preach to you that what Jesus paid for on the cross is indeed the ransom price for your soul and for mine. They testify that your conscience is cleansed by the blood of God’s Son—The Christ!

God testified while His Son walked and talked on this earth. He testified as He gave him into death on the cross and raised Him from it. And for your benefit and mine, God the Spirit still testifies. Easter is an enduring Testimony. The Spirit brings this enduring testimony to dispel our doubts and unbelief. And this is that testimony!

As ones who are born of God, our ears are given us to hear and keep hearing this testimony.